Portmore Lough () is a small lake in southwest

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

that drains water into nearby Lough Neagh. It is roughly circular and covers an area of . The Lough and its shoreland is designated a Ramsar site, a

Special Protection Area A Special Protection Area (SPA) is a designation under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. Under the Directive, Member States of the European Union (EU) have a duty to safeguard the habitats of migratory birds and certa ...

(SPA) and an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). The lough is now part of a

Royal Society for the Protection of Birds The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a charitable organisation registered in England and Wales and in Scotland. It was founded in 1889. It works to promote conservation and protection of birds and the wider environment thr ...

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

. The lough is near the site of the former Portmore Castle, erected in 1664 and removed in 1761.Castles of Ireland – County Antrim
/ref> It is also the presumed location of the

Portmore Ornament Tree "Bonny Portmore" is an Irish traditional folk song which laments the demise of Ireland's old oak forests, specifically the Great Oak of Portmore or the Portmore Ornament Tree, which fell in a windstorm in 1760 and was subsequently used for ship ...

whose demise in a windstorm of 1760 is lamented in the Irish folk song, '' Bonny Portmore.'' Portmore Lough has the alternative name Lough Beg (''Loch Bheag'', or "small lake"), not to be confused with the Lough Beg on the Lower Bann.

References

Lakes of County Antrim Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserves in Northern Ireland Protected areas of County Antrim {{Antrim-geo-stub